Minister of Interior and Police Jose Ramon Fadul signed an agreement with the United Nations Development Program yesterday, Monday 6 October 2014. It includes a US$122,000 donation for a telephone information line to improve services to foreigners seeking to regularize their status under the National Foreigner Legalization Plan. The Dominican government is offering free legalization services to people who present minimal documentation.
The plan seeks to ensure that all living in the Dominican Republic are legal and could help to uncover people with criminal backgrounds.
However, after the devastating earthquake in Haiti in 2010, many prisoners who escaped from Haitian jails crossed the border to the Dominican Republic, although the authorities did not know how many or where they were. Fadul said he was aware that more than 4,000 Haitians who escaped from jails in Haiti could be in the country. More than 30 National Police officers are involved in tracking down the escapees, but progress on their detention is slow due to a lack of sufficient data, as reported in Listin Diario.
Fadul said that more than 200 inmates broke out of Croix des Bouquets prison a little less than two months ago, and they had information on the fugitives. He praised the Police investigative teams and said that the investigations into the whereabouts of the fugitives were progressing.
http://www.listindiario.com/la-republica/2014/10/7/340493/Asegura-dan-seguimiento-a-miles-de-profugos-haitianos